Souldance: A Robot's Tale
by Sierra Omega
Summary: Protoman wandered countless months alone and without a purpose, until a girl named Annelle stumbled into his arms. How is she connected to both Wily and Light? **Updated 12/09/02** Forgive the unusual formatting, I'll repost it later once I fix it -_-()
1. Beginnings

SD1 ****

Souldance: A Robot's Story

Author's Note: Hey all! While I continue to type out more of Creation and Emotion, here is a brand-new saga for your enjoyment, starring my favorite Megaman character… but you'll know by the end of this chapter who it is J 

Anyway, just for the record, THIS STORY HAS NO CONNECTION WHAT SO EVER WITH MY CREATION AND EMOTION SAGA. You'll understand soon. In any case, please enjoy and don't forget to review!

****

Chapter Oneà Beginnings 

He had been alone for some time now... months, perhaps even years... he didn't know. Nor did he care; for time had no meaning for him other than the slow, eventual death waiting for him at the end of the road...  
  
Roads; Endless, long and winding. Not just your everyday ones that kill nature with toxic fumes and hot pavement... the kind that anyone with a soul would think to ponder at least once in their lives.  
  
There again, something he'd often thought about. Did he have a soul within the ageless body of his? The thought tossed itself around in his otherwise silent mind...  
  
He stopped in his tracks, never a sound uttered from his lips or escaping the footfalls of red metal boots. An armor of deep-set gray covered his teenage but noticeably muscular form, arms wearing red gloves and protective titanium guards. His face remained mostly obscured by dark sunglasses, and longish auburn hair played in the wind with a yellow scarf to complete the curious array of colors.  
  
He had a name, but not one he was proud of. Not even did he have a choice in his garb... it was what he was wearing from the day he'd been activated.   
  
That's right. He was a machine. But no ordinary machine of the time... he could think for himself, make decisions, feel...  


He lifted his angled face, looking no less human than the real thing, to the skies whilst continuing to contemplate himself. Yes, his very fathers had named him a mistake, a failed experiment... though he knew not why, he could come up with many a guess.  
  
Before fleeing the accursed place of his construction, the robot had heard one of his creators mentioning the commencement of a new project... a replacement for 'the prototype.'  
  
'Prototype' had quickly become 'Protoman,' having no other name by which to call himself. He cursed it each day of his endless travels, yet nothing more would come forth from his mind that suited him.  
  
Even despite his intensely dark emotions of loneliness and rejection, he felt some comfort in being alone and able to do as he pleased without fear of punishment for his actions save those he brought upon himself. It was something he cherished, and would never forget or take for granted...  
  
For he was free. The word tasted like sugar upon his lips (he had never tasted sugar, but from the way his creators had indulged in consuming it as candies he assumed it was a very good thing) that once in a while would cast a smile across his otherwise grim features.  
  
Feeling the urge to move onward, Protoman stepped forward from the protective shade of the tree beside him into the harsh beatings of August sunlight upon the quiet wilderness. He avoided human settlement whenever possible, finding no need to interact with others either of his own kind or of the race that had built him. His resentment filled his mouth as rancid acid from all of the memories he tried so hard to forget... but never would they leave his mind.  
  
But never would he allow suck darkness to cloud his judgement for long; for the world was a great adventure, and never would he deem to miss an instant of it. There was still much to learn, still much to understand... and a single lapse in concentration would mean his life. Animals lived in this dense jungle of a world, of both the flesh and metal varieties.

Anything could be near at any moment; at all costs he had to be on full alert for danger. His ever-so-sharp eyes raked across the dark and dreary landscape, narrowing at a small sound in the distance.  
  
He had heard the rumors, of course. He would once in a while go into a small town in order to pick up any significant and/or worthwhile news. But only the other day Protoman had discovered something that chilled his titanium skeleton: one of his creators had become a renegade and turned his back on the human race. Thus, he declared war on the world... and to his other creator.  
  
He remembered clearly enough. Thomas Light... a short, kind man with an image that would remind a child of Santa Claus. Protoman had to admit, he'd really never had anything against the good doctor... but his partner was a different story altogether.  
  
Albert Wily. A man who looked older than his years but seemed to have a disgusted snarl eternally plastered across his grotesque and misshapen features... bushy eyebrows, beaked nose and cleft chin. From the minute he saw him, Protoman knew that the man was trouble. It was Wily that had first brought up the idea of replacing the red and gray robot... and wanted him destroyed.  
  
And now the creation understood why.  
  
Wily was a madman, a devil... his goal was to use the information he had shared with Doctor Light to take over the planet...   
  
And Protoman was to be the first step.  
  
However... thanks to some luck the robot had escaped that horrible fate, but now the world was being slowly taken over bit by bit... monstrous yet unintelligent machines meant to harm and strike fear into humans... and there was no one to stop him.  
  
Except Protoman.  
  
He didn't want this job... he didn't want to have to go after a lunatic scientist all alone... but what choice was there? Despite his low regard for humans... he still had a conscience. Whether it was programmed into him or not, he had one, and couldn't go against his instinct to protect.  
  
And protect he would, as long as he was able.  
  
Just then, a bloodcurdling scream cut into the robot's thoughts. He cursed under his breath, and took off running towards the source of the sound with yellow scarf flailing behind him in a current of wind.

AN: So how was it? Input, please! Do you want me to continue? I'm posting a couple of more chapters if you need a better idea of where this is going… Ja ne, minna! ~Sierra Omega~


	2. Genius

Just then, a bloodcurdling scream cut into the robot's thoughts ****

Souldance

Chapter 2: Genius

Just then, a bloodcurdling scream cut into the robot's thoughts. He cursed under his breath, and took off running towards the source of the sound with yellow scarf flailing behind him in a current of wind.

Protoman cursed under his breath while racing to the source of the cry, moving through endless thorned brush and tangles undergrowth. At last he tripped over the last of it, reaching for a tree trunk to regain his lost balance. Once he righted himself the stench of plasma fire filled his nostrils, and he narrowed his eyes from beneath the visor obscuring them.  
  
Quietly, smoothly and with the grace of a cat on the hunt he searched the endless expanse of trees, following the trail of destruction left in the wake of an apparent pursuit.  
  
'What could they be after?' he thought to himself with a scowl. A crack of splintering wood caught his attention and suddenly a figure barreled into him, knocking him over.  
  
"The hell..." he groaned as he rubbed his neck, now cut in places by small thorns. Looking to the one who'd caused the mess, he gaped in amazement at a girl about sixteen or seventeen years of age trying hard to get to her feet. Long brown hair was disheveled around a somewhat thin face with crystal-blue eyes, and she wore old and faded blue jeans with a black tank top covered in dirt and leaves.  
  
"You okay?" he asked in a trained voice. He was unaccustomed in helping others, particularly humans... but this girl was obviously in trouble.  
  
"Not for long, if I don't keep moving," she panted, trying to catch her breath after her long run.  
  
"What's going on? Who's after you?"  
  
"Don't you know?" she looked at him as if he were insane. "Dr. Wily has been searching for the best robotic experts on the planet!"  
  
"Er..." he looked confused. "Are you trying to tell me that YOU'RE a robotics expert?"  
  
"Annelle Light... everyone calls me Sierra." She grinned, as if expecting the response that Protoman had given.  
  
"Light... as in Doctor Thomas Xavier Light?"  
  
She shrugged. "No relation that I'm aware of. I've been an orphan all my life... robotics is all I have to keep myself from starving. Anyway... I have to get going or they'll find me. See ya!"  
  
"Sorry, cutie, no can do," replied a deep rumble from behind them. Instinctively Protoman activated his plasma cannon and fired in the direction of the sound, his only response being a heavy laughter.  
  
"You'll have to do better than that!" 

  
Protoman growled beneath his breath, taking a step to place himself nearer to Annelle... rather, Sierra.  
  
'Robotics expert? Strange that she has the same surname as one of my creators... I must find out...'  
  
"But first," he muttered aloud, "I'll have to take care of this loser."  
  
"What?" Sierra asked in half fear, half confusion. "We have to get out of here! Why aren't you running away?"  
  
"I don't 'run away'!" The robot snapped. "No matter what, I'm not gonna let some junkpile of Wily's get to you." 'What am I saying?' he thought to himself. 'Since when do I give a damn about humans?'  
  
'Since this one is important to Wily,' his mind replied; it was the only persuasion he needed. Powering up his plasma cannon, he waited.  
  
At last, after a moment or two of silence the clumsy crushing of cracking leaves beneath clanking metal boots sounded nearby, and a shadow emerged from the trees. Sierra gasped from behind Protoman, followed by the faintest whimper of terror.  
  
The tall robot snarled from behind a yellow mask covering his eyes, red and black outfit outstandingly absurd and obvious among the soft greens and browns of the forest. His hands crackled with large sparks of electricity; so much that the red and gray robot was confused as to how the machine before him could even walk.  
  
"So. You must be the prototype." Wily's robot remarked, giving Proto a good once-over. "You don't look like much."  
  
"So you've heard of me?"  
  
"Of course. Master Wily told us much about you; how you were a grave disappointment. Hence, he built superior robots such as myself to implement his great plans of world domination."  
  
"Superior?" Proto sniffed. "You look like you've got a short circuit. Or a few thousand."  
  
"Oh, quite the contrary. I am Elecman, and you are about to have not only a short-circuit, but an entire shutdown!" And with that he raised one hand, the blue sparks gathering into a rather large ball of indigo electricity that hissed and spit for mechanical prey to feast upon.  
  
'Not good.' Protoman braced himself, gently shoving Sierra behind a tree for protection. He aimed his cannon and fired, but at the same time Elecman released his ravenous bolt of lightning. It pounced from his hand at the oncoming plasma beam, devouring it in a single swallow as a boa constrictor would a large rabbit.  
  
"Damn!"  
  
Elecman laughed at Protoman's apparent helplessness, grinning to reveal perfect white teeth with pointed canines glinting with glee and amusement. "Such to be expected from a failure as yourself!"  
  
"I'll show you who's the failure!" Suddenly he was a blue of red, even his loud yellow scarf vanishing behind him in a burst of speed. Not even the leaves beneath his feet quivered or crunched in response from the swift movement, leaving Elecman staring in shock at the empty area.  
  
"Where'd he go...?"  
  
"SURPRISE!" Proto roared, leaping down from the branches above to land behind Elecman. With a sharp uppercut to the back of the robots head he was down, and with a charged bolt of plasma to the back it was certain that Wily's creation would not be able to be a problem again. Elecman's synthetic skin and black bodysuit erupted into flames, small explosions and sputters causing gushes of oil to splash onto Protoman's armor and scarf.  
  
Walking solemnly away from the mechanical corpse still smoking from the blast, the robot made his way back to Sierra's position. "Are you injured?" he asked, eyeing her for any cuts and bruises. She shook her head quickly, eyes wide.  
  
"What's the matter?" he asked, becoming a bit annoyed. "Have I done something to offend you?"  
  
"No," she answered. "Merely to surprise me. You fought that robot so easily... and yet Dr. Wily's robots were supposed to be unstoppable!"  
  
"You surmised wrong. Although he did have a power advantage over me, he lacked in speed and battle experience. However, I'm certain that there are many more where he came from. I suggest that we keep on going before anymore of Wily's robots find you."  
  
"..."  
  
"What?" Protoman was growing even more impatient by the minute, Sierra's confusing expressions making it all the worse.  
  
"...'we'?"  
  
He sighed. "Yes. We. I will not permit you to fall into the hands of my enemy."  
  
"But I don't even know who you are! Your name... or creator, for that matter! How am I to know whether or not you're a spy from Wily out to gain my trust and kill me?"  
  
"If I were to do anything of the sort, I would have done so long ago. You'd be dead, or knocked out so that I could bring you to Wily. Is that proof enough for you, *human*?"  
  
She flinched as if struck. "For now it is, I suppose."  
  
"Then come on then. There's no time to be lost." He began to walk briskly, brushing past her slightly.  
  
"Aren't you going to tell me your name?"  
  
He stopped. No one had ever asked him that. Unwilling to use the term that Wily had dubbed him with, he simply replied, "I have no name."  
  
"Number?"  
  
He shook his head.  
  
"You must have had some strange creators, to have not given you any name."  
  
"Not that it's any of your business."  
  
"Hey. If 'we' are going to be together for a long time, which I think is the case here, it's going to be weird to not know what to call you."  
  
He shrugged. "Do you have a suggestion?"  
  
"What? You don't have any druthers?"  
  
"'Druthers?'"  
  
"No ideas? No names you like that you want to be referred to as?"  
  
"I don't mingle much, Miss Sierra," he snapped coldly. "Hence I don't have a need for a name. It's a stupid human tradition, and I prefer to not be remembered among others."  
  
"Why's that?"  
  
"..." He turned away, glad that the visor covered his face.  
  
Frowning, her mouth quirked into a slight smile at this response from the robot. "All right then. You're Blues from now on."  
  
He glanced at her quizzically from lack of comprehension. "Blues?" At her curt nod he twisted his face into a look that even the visor could obscure. "What application does THAT have to me?"  
  
"That's for me to know."  
  
Aggravated now by her small secretiveness he shrugged. "Whatever. Come on." Raising an eyebrow in response, she followed the red and grey robot closely on his path to god-knew-where.  
  
*****  
Sierra's young but brilliant mind was awhirl with emotion, the most prominent being astonishment. Here before her was a being so curiously intriguing that it blew her away at the realization that he was indeed a robot and not human. Even the large boots and gray armor did not give the fact away; with the Wily Uprisings afoot many had donned such armor for protection and when joining local defense forces.  
  
He seemed to distant, unreachable. What had happened to him? It plagued her consciousness even though they had only just met. She could not figure out what it was about that robot that irked her so... but perhaps it was how humanlike he appeared.  
  
'He has human mannerisms... gestures and emotions, but that helmet hides much of his expressions from me. I wonder why he wears it? And that scarf... it clashes so horribly with the rest of him! I don't think I want to know where it's from.  
  
'Nevertheless... he has a story behind him. Somehow, I'm going to find out what it is.'  
  
"So, Blues," she began in an attempt to make idle conversation. "Where are you from?"  
  
"..."  
  
"Really? Sounds like a great place."  
  
"Sarcasm gains you no ground," he remarked, "Nor do personal questions."  
  
There again! 'Personal questions!' Since when did a robot care about privacy? Sierra giggled to herself at the idea of this, but then abruptly realized that Blues' design was far beyond anything she could ever master in robotics.  
  
'As in Thomas Xavier Light?' The robot's question pulled at the back of her mind. Was there a connection?  
  
Did she have family after all?

Author's Notes: So…? How is it? LOL… don't worry, there's more! Like I said before, there will be recognizable characters from my C&E fics, but this is totally unrelated. Ja ne. ~Sierra Omega~


	3. Friendship

Souldance ****

Souldance

Chapter Three: Friendship

Author's Notes: Not much to say now… just that I will be calling Protoman 'Blues' from here on out to avoid confusion. Ja ne!

Hours went by in silence between the two, the robot trudging ahead tirelessly while Sierra huffed a few paces behind from fatigue. It was not to sat that she was out of shape; on the contrary, she was extremely fit. However, she had been running all day, and the monotonous pounding of her feet on the forest floor only served to give her a constant, aching pain.  
  
She did not dare ask Blues to rest, for he would likely scoff and point out her 'human' weakness. What did he have against his creators, anyway? On top of it all, there seemed to be some sort of a connection between him and Elecman... but she could not quite place it. Perhaps it was due to her exhaustion that the realization could not come to her. But, like any good scientist, she would be patient, and the answers would present themselves eventually without any large amounts of prompting. Such was the way of nature, and she was ever ready to wait.  
  
Suddenly they reached a clearing in the trees, large rays of bright sunlight peeking out through the shadowy, otherwise ominous leaves and of the branches above that seemed to want to reach down and grab them, pluck them up and swallow them into their endless depths.   
  
'Stop it,' she told herself firmly. 'There's no reason to be uneasy; Blues can handle anything.'  
  
'But what is it that makes me so sure?' another part of her said. 'You still don't know anything about him... his limits or strengths. One battle is not enough to gauge it!'  
  
Absently she sighed to herself, drawing the attention of her companion. He turned his face towards her, the black visor of the red helmet glinting to further hide his eyes from her searching gaze.  
  
"Is there a problem?"  
  
She sniffed. "I take it you have had little contact with humans, Blues."  
  
"Correct, Miss Sierra."  
  
"Just Sierra, okay? I'm not an old lady or something."  
  
"What is your point?"  
  
"The POINT is..." she began, "...that I am tired. I am hungry, and in dire need to sit down or you're going to have to continue your trek alone."  
  
He was silent for a time, then sighed heavily as if annoyed. "Not that I would mind the lack of company, M-- Sierra... but I have to keep you away from Doctor Wily and his robots."  
  
"Why do you care so much what happens to me?"  
  
"Because, as it appears, you are important to Wily in aiding his insane plans, and I will not allow that to happen."  
  
"Mr. Hero, huh?"  
  
No answer. Sierra slapped her forehead from the 'bots ignorance to her phrases and expressions. "So," she tried again. "How about some food and a rest?"  
  
"I have no need for such."  
  
"That's nice!" she exclaimed in exasperation. "BUT I DO!! Look here, bud, I don't think you'll want to end up carrying me into the next town when I collapse from exhaustion. Get the idea?"  
  
He crossed his arms, seemingly uninterested and bemused at once. "Why didn't you say so in the first place?" And with that, he began to stalk off further, out of the clearing. The girl raised her eyebrows in surprise, then narrowed her eyes in anger.  
  
"Where are you going? Didn't I just say--"  
  
"Stay there."  
  
Startled by the crisp command, she froze. Sniffing again, she plopped down onto the soft grasses at her feet, stretching out her legs to relieve the soreness as she watched Blues disappear into the woods.  
  
What else could she do?  
And why did she suddenly get a sinking feeling in her stomach as her only protection from Wily escaped her line of vision?

Sierra rested beneath the scattered shade of the trees, leaning her head against a smooth trunk and looking up into the speckled patches of sky above.  
  
'As in Dr. Thomas Xavier Light?'  
  
Again the question whipped through her mind, filling her heart with a tiny light of hope. Ever since she was but six years of age she had been alone, her parents mysteriously disappearing without warning. Too young to understand what was going on, the young girl had always believed that they would return to her, but as eventual months and then years passed by, her tiny heart had slowly begun to break apart. Each night she would cry in her room, the empty house echoing her high-pitched wails without an ear to listen nor a hand to comfort.  
  
She had no other relatives that she knew of, and though various family friends and neighbors tried to care for her, young Annelle Light would ot be consoled by anyone.  
  
By the time she had reached her early teens, Annelle had taken a choice few of her belongings to set out into the world on her own. Her pain of staying in her hometown was too much to bear, the memories too shattering for her lonely soul. Among those she left behind was her own identity, taking up the name Sierra as if to clean the slate and create a new, spotless life. Much to her dismay, it was not so easy.  
  
Work was hard to find then, and by that time robots were beginning to replace humans in simple labors such as housecleaning and factory work. Finding no other means to feed herself and keep clothes on her back, she began to study the schematics of robots and androids, eve going so far as to stealing parts from a junkyard or two to completely rebuild new machines and sell them for a moderate price... time went on, and Sierra became the best robotics designer and repair specialist, her reputation of creating innovative new schematics and blueprints reaching the level of genius.  
  
'But again, fate was against it...' she thought to herself bitterly, fighting back the hot tears that threatened to scorch her cheeks with sorrow once more. She shut her eyes tightly, repeating to herself over and over again that it would all pass... she could escape Wily...  
  
'...for how long?' the pessimistic side of her retorted. 'The only reason you escaped before was because Blues was there. And God only knows if he works for Wily, too.'  
  
Aimlessly the girl stood up, combing disheveled brown hair back and wrapping it into a sloppy bun. The wind tossed at the free wisps around her face, throwing them carelessly behind her ear. Straightening her tank top, bits of grass and twigs fell from the fabric down to her feet, clad in dirty sneakers that were a tad too small.  
  
The wind died, leaving Sierra alone in silence. Goosebumps crawled up her arms despite her attempts to remain stoic. She'd learned the hard way to never show fear if it was possible... even in the most pressing situations.  
  
This, however, was not a pressing situation, though an unnerving one. Angrily her thoughts turned back to her robot companion, grumbling silently as to where he could have disappeared to.  
  
"Your dinner."  
  
Sierra nearly jumped out of her skin at the soft yet stern voice so near her. Whirling around, she turned red with anger at Blues, who merely stood there with a half-smirk on his face. In his hand was a small white paper box, but she took no notice.  
  
"What did you think you were doing, scaring me like that!?" It wasn't that he'd shown up; rather, it was the fact that he was a robot that could move so swiftly yet silently that sent a chill of fear down her spine.  
  
He tilted his head back slightly as if to eye her curiously. "I was unaware that my presence discomforted you so. Perhaps I should take this food elsewhere?" He shifted the weight in his left hand, smirk widening playfully.  
  
"Where did you get that?" Sierra asked, raising an eyebrow in suspicion.  
  
Blues shrugged innocently. "A storekeeper was so busy with customers, I thought I'd relieve him of some of the merchandise. Saves him the trouble of selling it."  
  
Her mouth dropped open in disbelief. "You... you STOLE THAT?"  
  
"I wouldn't call it stealing."  
  
"Oh? And why not?" Color filled her face, partly in surprise and partly in fury. "What would constitute taking something without paying to not be stealing?!"  
  
"The fact that I just took out another of Wily's goons on the way there. The scrapheap was gonna burn the entire city... I figured a small amount of food was a fair enough payment!"  
  
"It's still stealing!"  
  
"It's not!"  
  
"Is too!"  
  
"I assure you it's not."  
  
"I KNOW IT IS!"  
  
"Do you?"  
  
She stopped. "What does that mean?"  
  
All amusement left the robot's face then. "Can you really admit to never taking something that's not yours so that you can survive?"  
  
Ouch. It hurt, mostly due to the chords it struck within her; he was right.  
  
"I can't..."  
  
"Then don't patronize me. Eat, or go hungry." He tossed the package at her feet, gently as to not damage the contents.

Sierra solemnly sulked while picking at the food in front of her. She was starving, but the thought of the way she received the nourishment was dishonorable to her.

"It's getting cold," her companion pointed out. She said nothing in reply, still angry.

"Good grief..." he muttered loudly. "I thought I'd get at least a 'thank you' for finding something at all! But no, the hypocritical girl says, 'Oh no! I can't TOUCH this food because it wasn't paid for!' Money's stupid anyway."

Her head snapped up, and if looks could kill... well, let's just say that dear Blues would be deep-fried and breaded, served with garlic on a silver platter. "What makes you say that? Money keeps people alive!"

"Pfft. It also keeps them poor, impoverished, and hungry. It's the source of most of the humans' problems."

"What would you know about it?" Sierra snapped back. "You know nothing about us! You're just a robot, a hunk of lifeless metal!"

Blues opened his mouth to speak, then promptly shut it, the thin line of his lips pressing tightly together in anger. Abruptly he stood up, scarf flowing madly behind him.

"Fine then. If you're so sure of yourself, then let's see how well you can handle without my help!" And with that he stormed away, boots loudly cracking twigs and dead leaves as he went.

"Fine by me! Go on then! I don't need you!" 'That's right,' she assured herself. 'I don't need anyone. There's no need for me to depend on another 'cuz I can easily fend for myself!'

Her gaze dropped back to her tofu and rice, which was still looking tantalizingly tasty despite the fact that it was no longer warm. "To hell with it." She grabbed the cheap chopsticks that she'd been given and dug in, savoring every bite.

*****************************

'How dare she?' Blues fumed furiously. 'How in the world could that girl be so damned arrogant? She doesn't know anything!

'But then... neither do I...'

He stopped in his tracks to evaluate that thought. Shaking his head, he realized that they'd both been wrong about some things... but that didn't make him any less angry about the situation.

'Hmph. If she thinks she can survive then let her. She's of no consequence to me... however... I still must make sure that Wily doesn't get his paws on her.'

A horrifying thought crossed his mind then; of Sierra sitting at a small lab table under crude lighting, of Wily looking over her shoulder greedily as she tinkered with various robot wiring and structure... the scene moved to one of a battlefield... No, a massacre, where hundreds of humans lay dead on the scorched ground... houses and buildings were reduced to rubble, and an army of malicious robots marched in perfect order over the carnage; they were led by Wily and Sierra.

His fears making up his mind for him, Blues leaped upwards into the trees, vanishing with silence into their dense green camouflage.

********************************

Three days later Sierra was still alone, though she had at last reached the end of the wilderness and was back into civilization. As she passed a few onlookers gave stern expressions to her state of uncleanness, sniffing arrogantly as they returned to their daily errands.

Scowling at the negative attention, the girl looked around to get her bearings. Spotting a clothing shop nearby she changed direction towards it.

"Annelle?"

Her head whipped around at the sound. The voice was so familiar...

"Annelle! It IS you!" From the crowds emerged a grinning face framed by dark brown hair, blue eyes glittering with joy. The girl's mouth dropped open in surprise while standing rooted to the spot she was standing in.

"M-Matthew?!" she stammered. The tall boy's smile widened, opening his arms to embrace Sierra in a big bear hug.

"Wow... I never thought I'd see you again!" he exclaimed in her ear, pulling back to look at her. "After I heard about the price on your head... I got worried."

"Price?!" 'Oh, great,' she thought.

Matthew "Tech" Knight gave his friend a concerned gaze, the undertones of anger evident in his face. "Yeah. Not only 'bots, but some crazy bounty hunters are searching for you, too. Where in the world have you been?"

"No clue, Matt, to tell you the truth... I don't even know where I am now. How did YOU get here? I thougt you were still back in Concord!"

He shrugged. "After I heard about Wily trying to 'recruit' some designers I decided to lay low for a while and move to a small town. But... it seems its only you he's currently interested in. How did you last this long?"

"I... er... had some help in that department." For some reason, a deep gut feeling told her to not expose Blues' identity. She didn't know why... this was her friend.

He raised an eyebrow, shrugged again. "Whatever. Anyway... looks like you're in need of some new threads. Come on... I'll treat ya to a decent wardrobe."

"Since when do you have money to spend?" She teased, drawing a small pout form him.

"Hey, its not so bad here. Doing odd jobs and playing Mr. Fix-it gets me some respectable cash. I don't even have to swindle people like we used to."

"Those were the days..." she mumbled absently. "All right then, Matt. Let's go."

"Hey, you know I go by Tech now."

"You sure that's such a good idea?"

"Oh, sure," he replied with a wave of his hand. "I've never told anyone about my previous occupations, so I'm in no danger."

"Okay then, Tech. Lead the way... and for the record, I'm Sierra now."

"All right, Sierra." The two resumed walking down the sidewalk, engaging in idle chatter as they completed the trek to the clothing store.

********************************

A face peered from his vantage point amongst the crowds, clad in a black trench-coat with a thick belt and boots. He would have been conspicuous if not for his short size, instead appearing comical in appearance. The masses of people paid him no mind, being too busy with their own affairs to bother with senseless curiosity.

'All the better...' he thought with a toothy grin, beady eyes fastening onto the pair of teenagers entering a local shop. 'Annelle Light, you won't escape me.'

********************************

Another figure stood unnoticed, but by a different manner than the first. He watched both the teenagers and the trench-coat man at once, eyes narrowing in anger.

'This won't be easy,' he thought to himself. 'I'm going to have to find a suitable disguise to watch their moves; I can't afford to stay at this far a distance.'

********************************

"Hey Tech! What about this one?" Sierra called as she emerged from the dressing room. The boy looked up and promptly his eyes widened in surprise. She was wearing a sleeveless red tank top that said 'Bad Kitty' and long, dark jeans to compliment her slender figure, while assorted bracelets and a necklace provided extra flair.

He gave an enthusiastic thumbs-up, and she retreated back into the room to change. Moments later she emerged in a casual baby-blue shirt and black capris to wear out of the store, her hair brushed into a French braid to keep out of her face.

"You look terrific!" Tech smiled. "Are you sure that's all you want? I've got enough cash for anything else you need."

She laughed. "No, I'll be fine. Besides, I only need a couple of outfits, plus my old clothes to work in."

Tech was about to reply when his wrist began beeping. Sierra raised an eyebrow while peering curiously at her companion. "What's that?"

"Er... nothing. Just a wrist pager."

"Whoa now... I thought those things cost a bundle!"

He looked sheepish. "Well, one of my customers couldn't get it to work right, so in exchange for fixing his car he gave it to me as payment."

"You have some generous clients."

It beeped again, and with a look of apology he excused himself from the store, tossing Sierra his wallet before exiting. "I'll be right back!"

Amused, she shook her head and made her way to the cash register. The cashier cheerfully scanned the items and took Tech's cash, making comments about Sierra's good taste as she did so.

"Here's your change, ma'am."

"Thanks." Gathering her bags, she turned around to bump into someone who in turn placed their hands on her shoulders.

"Ack!"

"Whoops," Tech smirked. "Sorry there, Sierra."

She stuck her tongue out at him, stepping away from him to give his wallet back. "Thanks."

"No problem. Hmm... what say we go get a bite to eat? I hope you're paying... you pretty much cleaned me out... unless you don't mind borrowing some..."

With a frown she glared at him, causing the poor boy to put his hands up in defense. "Kidding! Only kidding!"

********************************

Night.

A lone figure rose from the darkness, silent as the stars above. Jumping from shadow to shadow soundlessly, gracefully, he reached his destination unnoticed by any who also was prowling on the empty streets. Stopping by a display window, he sniffed in disapproval, moving towards the locked entry doors. He removed a pin from his collar, easily picking the simple locks and disabling the alarms with a quick series of punched buttons on a remote keypad in one hand.

'Handy, this thing...' he thought with a smirk. Smoothly he entered the building, eyes raking the merchandise until he found what he was looking for. He chose a few items here and there, throwing needless things to the floor with no regard to them.

'This will work nicely enough...' Stepping over the mess he had made, the interloper paused by the cash register once, then completely left without further hesitation.

"Phase One, complete," he muttered to no one.

Author's Notes: Oooh…. New chara! What's the relationship between Sierra and Matt? Who are the bounty hunters searching for her? Where the heck is Blues?! This is the last I have written thus far. Would you like more? Review and tell me if you do! ~Sierra Omega~


	4. Suspicion

****

Souldance

Chapter Four: Suspicion

__

Author's Notes: Gomen nasai, minna, for not updating in so long. To be truthful, I completely forgot about this story during the school year and while working on my other fics… and for that, I am truly sorry. I realize now how much I enjoyed writing this particular fiction, and will try my hardest to give you more as soon as possible.

~~~

Sierra emerged from the bathroom clean and refreshed, having taken a good long shower and put on new clothes bought by Tech as a gift. She looked around her small but still nice room, the only furniture being a twin-size bed with blue sheets and a glass bedside table, and an oak desk in one corner with a computer terminal.

'It's almost as if he knew that I was coming here,' she thought to herself with a smile, then laughed aloud. 'That's silly. How in the world would he know? I didn't even know I was headed here until Blues decided to ditch me.'

A pang of guilt struck her heart, and her smile faded. _Blues_. But as soon as the auburn haired robot came to mind, she pushed it away as far as she was able. 'He was wrong. I'm not going to forgive him, especially for just LEAVING me there in the forest to wait for Wily to get me. He's got another thing coming if he thinks THIS human's gonna sit and wait for fate to carry her away.'

"Besides," she muttered with a small smirk. "Tech will take care of me. He always has."

As if on cue, there came a knock at her bedroom door. "Sierra? Everything okay in there? Find everything you need?"

"I'm just fine, Matt! You can come in now." Hastily she finished putting on her shirt just as the door creaked open, revealing Tech wearing a bright grin on his handsome face. He wore a black Metallica t-shirt and slightly baggy jeans, and a wallet chain dangled from his right pocket.

"Sleep all right?"

She smiled. "Yep. Though I miss having about a dozen pillows to curl up on."

He chuckled. "Yeah, I remember you telling me that. That was a long time ago, huh?"

"Sure was... but then, I shouldn't be complaining. It's been so long since I've had a bed to sleep in at all."

"Has it really been that hard on you, Annelle?" Face turned into a frown, he sent over a concerned glance. "You never wrote... so I never knew how you were doing. Are you still angry at me about before?"

"No, Matt, of course not... that was a year ago. No hard feelings from me... and I'm sorry about never writing... things just got to the point where I had to... well, things got to be desperate. That was when Wily first showed up."

Both teens fell silent at the mention of the feared scientist, with Tech balling his hands into tight fists. But suddenly his head shot up. "Say, how'd you like to go to the plaza? It's not quite a mall or anything... but it's got some cool places to go. What do you say?"

"Sounds great! Let's go!" So with Tech leading the way, the two left the small house and walked side-by-side to the plaza.

*****************************

The first thing that surprised Sierra was the high concentration of people. She wasn't used to such crowds, and clung to her companion's arm to prevent getting lost or separated from him. Along the way, he pointed out various individuals whom he worked with, was a common client, or owed him money.

"Oh yeah... here's the arcade," he continued, coming to a stop at the glass sliding doors.

"It's... huge..."

"Oh yeah. I know you're not one for video games, but there's one here that I really think you'll like."

"Huh?" she was puzzled. "What game?"

"Er..." he stammered, scratching his head. "I can't really explain it to you... you'll have to see it for yourself. Okay?"

She laughed at his unusual inarticulate response. "All right. Show me."

*****************************

It was the most insane video game on the planet by far... and in Sierra's opinion shouldn't even be considered a video game at all...

Why? Because it was one hell of a game. It was FUN. Keeping the beat in her head, she stepped on a floor pad in time to the music and flashing arrows of the screen before her. Tech was doing the same to her right, laughing and free-styling some cool moves here and there.

"What's this thing called again?" she called over the roar of the music and the cheers of the crowd that had gathered around them.

"Dance Dance Revolution!" he shouted back. "Isn't it great?!"

"Awesome!"

The song ended, and thunderous applause erupted around them. Letters for both players rolled like a slot machine on the screen, until finally their score was given. Matt: A, Sierra: AAA.

Tech stared in astonishment at the score, then at Sierra, who gratefully accepted a towel from someone nearby to wipe off her face. "Triple A???"

"Is that bad?" she asked innocently. "It's my first time."

"BAD? That's the best score your could possibly get on a song!"

She blushed, her mouth open in surprise. "Um... wow? Can we do it again?"

Tech's grin returned, nodding avidly. "Yeah, it's three songs per game. But this time, let's take it to the next level." Selecting B4U on trick level, they began again.

*****************************

One stood in the rear of the bulking mass of people cheering on the two players, a smirk across his face. He lowered the dark sunglasses on his face to get a better view, but kept them at a level so that no one could see his face. It was imperative that he remain blended... and he was indeed, with the dark, slim jeans and red polo shirt.

'Never thought someone like her could be so coordinated,' he thought in amusement. 'Learn something new every day.'

*****************************

__

'Like a shooting star  
Across the midnight sky  
Wherever you are  
you're gonna see me fly~!'  
  
The song ended in a great ensemble of drums and synthesizers, followed by the most deafening cheer Sierra had ever heard in her life... she felt that she'd go deaf if it happened again.  
  
"HOLY CRAP!" Many of the onlookers shouted, laughing and pointing in surprise. Sierra had to grin at the attention, fanning her face with one hand. Tech stood directly behind her, looking about ready to either fall over or go blind when his eyes popped out.  
  
"WOW!" was all he could say. She raised an eyebrow at him, then turned back to the DDR screen to receive her score:  
  
Song: Shooting Star  
Style: Doubles  
Level: Maniac  
Grade: AA  
  
This time she had to cover her ears with the rising roar of her fans. Waving shyly, she stepped off from her pedestal of glory to join her friend.  
  
"Let's go... I'm hungry... and it's horribly hot in here."  
  
Finally Tech snapped out of his trance and began laughing. "Same old girl! I know just the thing that'll appease that appetite of yours! Come on." Leading her away from the surrounding masses of people, he felt eyes upon them.  
  
It wasn't just the eyes of entertained DDR fans... these were different... with a purpose. And Tech had the feeling that he knew who they were looking at. Angrily, he tightened his protective hold on Sierra and didn't let up until they were out of the arcade.  
  
"That was so fun, Matt!" she gushed. "Can we go again sometime? I think I'm addicted."  
  
He laughed again, though forced through clenched teeth. "Yeah... sure thing. Let's just get you home for now."  
  
"Huh?" she stopped. "What about lunch?"   
  
He looked at her quizzically for a moment, then slapped his forehead while attempting to forget his foreboding thoughts. "That's right. Well... do you really want to go in those sweaty clothes?"  
  
Blushing, she looked herself over and grinned. "Oops. Might be a good thing to change."  
  
"I totally agree."  
  
"So let's go! I'm starving." The famous smile returning, she blindly turned around and promptly rammed into a passer-by ten paces ahead. Shaking his head Tech jogged to help her up from the pavement.  
  
"I'm so sorry!" she was saying. "Are you all right?"  
  
The stranger merely smiled, and got up while dusting his black trench coat. "No problem, miss. But I was trying to catch up to you... it appears you dropped your purse back at the arcade."  
  
He and Tech exchanged glances, and Sierra's smile faded slightly. "Aw yeah! I did! Thanks!" Uneasily she took the purse from the man's hands, then walked over to Tech.  
  
"Let's go."  
  
"All right."  
  
*****************************  
"Who was that, Matt?"  
  
"Mm?"  
  
"That guy who found my purse... he looked so... creepy."  
  
Tech chuckled. "Yeah... he tends to have that effect on people. He's just a friend of mine. Sometimes he's my client, sometimes a co-worker on some of my more difficult jobs. Extra help tends to come in handy on big projects, y'know."  
  
"Yeah. I miss that."  
  
He stopped, taking her hand in his. "Me too."  
  
The pair stood in silence, looking into one another's eyes. Slowly, Tech wrapped his arms around Sierra and simply held her close.  
  
"I missed you, Matt."  
  
"Yeah... I did too." His grip tightened, and he sighed. Sierra gazed up at him in slight confusion. "Are you all right?"  
  
"Huh? Oh. Yeah, I'm fine... Annelle... I want you to know something."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"Well... just... whatever happens... if anything were to happen... just... I want you to know that my feelings have never changed, and never will. Okay?"  
  
"Of course I know that, silly. And you'll protect me as you always have, right?"  
  
"... Yeah."  
  
She smiled. It was all she needed to hear just before he gently placed his lips upon hers.  
  
*****************************  
An hour and a quick-change later, Sierra and Tech waited to be seated at a small Italian restaurant in the plaza. Now Sierra wore black capris and a white sleeveless top with leather sandals, and Tech had freshened up into black jeans and a polo shirt.  
  
"This place is great. The best part is I get a discount for being their frequent handyman."  
  
"Sounds cool."  
  
A waitress greeted them and lead them to a candle-lit table for two, handing them menus before leaving to allow them time to decide on their order.  
  
"So..." he began to break the ice. "You never told me how you made it here."  
  
"Oh... just luck I guess. I mean... I've been able to handle things myself dozens of times before... this wasn't any different."  
  
"Yeah it was!" he exclaimed. "With Wily after you! I'm still wondering how the hell you could get past his robo-trackers! They have built-in DNA finders!"  
  
"Never saw any of those. But how would you know what he was using to find me? I only met up with some 'bot called Elecman."  
  
"Er..." he stammered. "I mean... it's all over the news and everything! Besides,... some of my contacts have inside scoops on Wily and his toys. Keeps me updated in case I have to get outta here at some point."  
  
"Oh. Contacts, eh?" she teased. "You playing Spy or something?"  
  
Tech's face became gravely serious. "We live in dangerous times, Annelle. You have to face the fact that it's not safe anywhere anymore. You can't trust anybody."  
  
She waved a hand in dismissal. "I think I'm a good enough judge of character to determine a person's loyalties."  
  
"Well, maybe. But... you mentioned meeting another 'bot. How'd you get past HIM? It sounds as if it could have been a Robot Master! Those are far worse than the trackers... even YOU know that!"  
  
"Um... yeah. Well, I had a bit of help there."  
  
"Help? From who?"  
  
"Why are you being so curious about it?"  
  
"What? Am I not allowed to care or something?"  
  
Her face softened. "I didn't say that, Tech. Can't I have a life without having to tell you everything? If I didn't know any better I'd say you were jealous!"  
  
"HUH? Jealous? ME? I have no idea what you're talking about!"  
  
"Excuse me..." a voice piped up hesitantly.  
  
"SHUT UP FOR A SECOND!"  
  
"Uh... Matt?" Sierra cut in. "You just told the waitress to shut up."  
  
He froze, turning bright red in the process. His eyes raised to the rather insulted waitress to his right, one side of his mouth raising to a nervous grin. "Hi..."  
  
"He'll have to spaghetti special, miss. No marinara sauce please," Sierra finished for him. The girl wrote the order down a bit shakily, nodding, then walked off as quickly as possible.  
  
"What's wrong with you?" she demanded once the poor waitress was out of earshot. "You're scaring even me... being all edgy like that."  
  
"Look, I'm sorry. It's just... you taking on a Robot Master is a frightening thought... and I wanted to know who this guy was who could go and tear him up so easily."  
  
She shrugged, not willing to divulge her secret. "Just some random passer-by. He never told me his name." It was true enough, and it seemed to satisfy Tech; at least for the time being.  
  
The rest of dinner was uneventful, with Tech picking at his spaghetti (and grumbling about too much butter) and Sierra calmly chewing on her chicken parmesan. Afterwards, Tech left his money for the bill with a large tip for the waitress.  
  
" ...So, I finally found out that the problem was that the guy never even plugged the thing in! I told him, and he was all like, 'plug in?' He didn't speak English very well, so I had to show him until he understood."  
  
"Really?" Sierra giggled as they left the restaurant. "That must have been fun."  
  
"Eh... no. Not really. Didn't even get paid... the guy was so frustrated. He no longer calls me... and it's for the better, I assure you."  
  
"Hehe." They walked through the plaza, now almost completely empty except at the arcade, where music louder than that of the DDR machine blared and screamed enough to shake the stores' windows.  
  
"What's over there?" Sierra inquired curiously.  
  
"Oh, that? Just their usual Friday night blowout. Lots of fun, usually."  
  
"Really?!" she squealed. "Why aren't we going?!"  
  
"Huh? You actually want to go?"  
  
"Well, sure! Why not?"  
  
*****************************  
It wasn't going as well as Sierra had hoped. Just as she was starting to get comfortable with the loud and animated surroundings, Tech had left to go converse with some of his 'buddies.'  
  
'Hmph, buddies indeed,' she thought to herself. 'Since when does he associate himself with such shady characters?' In an attempt to keep the imposing frown off of her face, she gazed around for any possible people to talk to.  
  
"Hi there."  
  
Speak of the devil... whoever he was. A tall teenager with dark hair and a slender frame was suddenly at her side, smirking somewhat with green-gray eyes aflame with an eerie glowing quality.  
  
"Anyone sitting here?"  
  
"Nope," she answered with a smile. "Have a seat."  
  
"Don't mind if I do. Say, aren't you the one who was drawing the crowds here at the arcade earlier?"  
  
She blushed. "Um. Yeah, that'd be me. You were there?"  
  
"Yes. You were quite a spectacle."  
  
She raised an eyebrow, unsure as to how to receive that comment. "Spectacle?"  
  
"Yes," he repeated. "Don't see many h-- er, any great girls like yourself dancing like that anymore."  
  
"Um, thanks, I think."  
  
"So, you here alone?"  
  
Nerves set in, as did a bad feeling in her stomach. Something about him unnerved her, and she found herself wishing Matt was there with her. "No... I have a date."  
  
"Ah. I see. That goth boy?"  
  
"Huh? What kind of a question is THAT?" she demanded, taken aback by his bold, yet rude observation.  
  
"Ah, sorry. Seems I was mistaken. The guy I saw you with earlier..."  
  
"Is my friend, thank you, and I'll also thank you to leave his clothing choice out of this!"  
  
"Out of what, now?" He raised an eyebrow, angular features illuminated by the flashing red and blue lights of the arcade.  
  
"This! The conversation!"  
  
"Well, aren't we a bit on the defensive side? What's your name, kid?"  
  
"KID?" she was gripping the arms of her chair to keep from punching him in the face. "Who are you to call me 'kid' as if I _was_ one?"  
  
"Heh. You're acting like one."  
  
"What would you know about it?" She was ready to snap in anger, awaiting the point where she could shower him in bruises.  
  
"Oh, nothing. You're just an odd girl."  
  
That did it. Her hand flew too fast to see at his face...  
  
Then suddenly was halted mid-swing. He had grabbed her wrist and was calmly looking her in the eye. "I wouldn't do that. Might be dangerous."  
  
"Let me go."  
  
"As long as you trust me."  
  
"What?"  
  
"You're going to have to trust me, Sierra."  
  
"How did you--"  
  
"There's not much time. Get away from Tech. He's not your friend any more."  
  
"What are you--"  
  
The teen glanced over his shoulder, longish hair swaying at the quick motion. "I'll see you again soon. Listen to me... You're in danger; you have to get far away from here."  
  
He abruptly stood up, and with another smirk sent her way he disappeared into the crowds, leaving Sierra dumbfounded as Matt walked up.  
  
"Hey. Sorry to keep you waiting like that… Annelle? You all right? You look pale..."  
  
She didn't answer for a while, merely staring at the spot where the mysterious boy had vanished. She glanced at her wrist, now bearing a pink ring from the force of her hand grabbed by his. 'How did he do that?'  
  
"Annelle?" Tech repeated worriedly. "Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. Do you want to go home?"  
  
She shook her head to clear it, her gaze never leaving its position. "Yeah... sounds good. Home."  
  
'Who _was_ that?'  
  
*****************************  
  
The youth watched them leave, just as he had when they exited earlier in the day. His eyes narrowed upon 'Tech' in anger and suspicion.  
  
'Be careful, Sierra,' he thought.  
  
*****************************  
  
"Are you certain you'll be all right? Maybe I should call a doctor..."  
  
"I'm FINE, Matt. Stop mothering me... I'll be okay. Just tired."  
  
He wasn't convinced by her response, gently clasping both her hands in his. "Well, all right, but will you tell me if something is bothering you tomorrow?"  
  
She rolled her eyes, but couldn't help but grin at his concern. "Yeah, I will."  
  
He smiled at last, pulling her close to kiss her deeply. She returned it readily, surrounded by his love for her that hadn't died since their paths had separated those months ago.  
  
Breaking apart, he stared into her eyes sadly. "You know I care, right?"  
  
"Yes. Do you even have to ask me that? I never stopped thinking about you."  
  
He looked guilty then, confusing Sierra. "What is it?"  
  
He only answered by kissing her one last time, and taking a large step backwards. "Nothing. I'll see you in the morning."  
  
He left. Sierra, having no other choice, shrugged to herself and went into her room to change into warm pajamas. As she tucked herself into her thick bed sheets, she thought of the strange occurrences that day, reflecting upon the stranger's words at the party. What was there to watch out for? And why did he seem so terribly familiar?  
  
And what was wrong with Matt?  
  
*****************************  
  
"Status, Agent 26501."  
  
"Yes, Dr. Wily." The figure bowed his head before the small hologram before him to acknowledge his superior. "Everything is going according to plan."  
  
"No signs of the troublemaker?"  
  
"Not yet. I don't think he's here at all, sir."  
  
"Don't contradict me!" Albert Wily roared. "I know he's around! I'm not so stupid to think he'd miss a chance to defy me. That girl is the key to my ultimate plans! She must be delivered to me, and soon! Do you understand?"  
  
"Yes, sir. We will get her to you as soon as possible."  
  
"You had better... or I may begin to question where your real loyalties lie, Agent 26501. Don't forget our deal. I have a special tracker just for you, should you decide to defy me."  
  
The underling shuddered at the thought, comprehending completely. "Yes sir."  
  
The hologram of Wily disappeared, and the shadowed figure reactivated his holocomm to make another call. An ominous form took shape amidst the scattered static and interference, beady eyes peering out from beneath a lowered baseball cap.  
  
"Dirk here."  
  
"It's me. We're gonna have to get it done tomorrow. Are you and Blade ready?"  
  
"Yeah, we're good here. Just waiting for your okay."  
  
"Given... at the pre-designated place and time. You know."  
  
"Yup." Dirk nodded. "You sure you're ready to do it so soon, man?"  
  
"What?" the agent growled. "Of course I am! What makes you think I'm not?"  
  
"No reason. Just thinking about that girl... and I'm guessing you are, too."  
  
"Shut up."  
  
"Fine. Dirk out." The image beeped, then vanished.  
  
He was alone again. He didn't want to do it, Dirk was right. But a deal was a deal... and Wily had made his point quite clear. With his own life and the lives of so many others in jeopardy... what else could he do?  
  
The needs of the many outweigh the need of the one.  
  
Wise words, whoever said them.  
  
He only wished he could agree so readily as the others.

~~~

__

Author's Notes: More to come tomorrow! I promise! And for _Creation and Emotion _fans: the next chapter will be posted on Saturday, August 10th. 

__

Next Chapter: On a supposed date with Tech, Sierra finds herself in the middle of a trap… set by a traitor. Who will save her from the tightening fist of Albert Wily?


	5. Savior

****

Souldance

Chapter Five: Savior

__

Author's Notes: And here it is, the elusive next chapter! Just a warning to my readers… school starts tomorrow for me, so my updates will not be as frequent as I'd like. Hopefully, I will be able to do a chapter per week on this fiction, my Fushigi Yuugi fics, and the Phoenix. Thanks for your patience, and now on with _Souldance!_

~~~

Sierra emerged from her room early, stretching as she tread lightly down the stairs. Upon entering the kitchen she noticed Matt sitting at the table already, and gave him a tired grin.   
  
"Not sleep well?" she teased.  
  
He grunted, not responding. Raising an eyebrow, she shrugged and proceeded to raid the rather large refrigerator in one corner. With amazing speed, she whipped out some milk and eggs, then from the cabinets sugar, salt and flour. Still the boy refused to respond, apparently engrossed in picking pieces of lint from his shirt.   
  
"I hope you're hungry," Sierra called over the quiet roar of the griddle. "I'm making a lot of food."  
  
At last, Tech raised his head to the enticing aroma of pancakes. Seeing Sierra's smiling face filled him with dread, though he hid it beneath an apathetic mask. No, he hadn't slept a wink the previous night... but he wasn't about to make her worry about him.  
  
"What are your plans today?" she asked, noticing his adjustment in position. "I was thinking of stopping by the arcade again. You're right about that Dance Dance Revolution game... it sure is addictive!"  
  
"Actually..." he said slowly. "I was hoping the two of us could talk this afternoon."  
  
"What about?"  
  
He hesitated. "I can't say now. So will you go?"  
  
She paused, looking in concern into his eyes. "Of course I'll go... but I hope this isn't what was kept you from sleep, I'd hate to think I was the cause of it."  
  
_If only you knew, _he thought.  
  
*****************************************  
  
Breakfast was completed in a flurry, and no words were spoken the entire time. This was, however, due to the fact that ravenous teenagers in the morning care only to scarf down the food with no room for conversation.   
  
Sierra grabbed the last two pancakes somewhat greedily, piling onto them her usual syrup, chocolate chips and whipped cream. Tech grimaced at the loads of sugar she was consuming, but had to chuckle. It was a rare thing to see a girl eat so much junk food and still be so thin.  
  
With now-full stomachs, the two rose to their feet and loaded the dishes into the sink.  
  
"So where are we going?"  
  
"To the park," he replied, a bit too quickly.  
  
"Cool. Haven't been there yet."  
  
"Nope."  
  
Sierra glanced over at her companion, her mind clouding with worry. _What's up with him lately? First the strange friends, then the sudden leap from poor to comfortable living, and now he's not acting like himself? What in the world could be going through that head of his? _  
  
"Let's go," he said suddenly, interrupting her train of thought. "We'll be late."   
  
"Late?" she repeated curiously. "Late for what? We're just going to the park."  
  
"I want you to meet someone." Before she could reply, he had grasped her arm in one hand and gently began to haul her out the door.  
  
*****************************************  
  
"Okay Matt, you're starting to freak me out again. What the heck is going on? This doesn't look like any kind of park to me."  
  
Indeed, they weren't heading towards a park at all... it was instead a series of dank alleys behind the Plaza, smelling vaguely of rotting pizza and old dust.  
  
Tech refused to respond as he continued to lead the frightened girl through the maze; eyes wildly switching from left to right... though from looking or avoiding someone, she didn't know which.  
  
At last, he stopped her, standing a bit taller as he called out the word, "Delivery."  
  
The figures began to surround them from all sides, at first seeming to detach from the shadows themselves. Tech remained calm, eyeing each in turn before whirling around to point grimly at his companion, regret evident in his eyes.  
  
"Restrain her."  
  
Two large and bulky figures grabbed Sierra by her two arms, firmly enough to hold her in place but gently enough to keep from bruising her.   
  
"Let me go!" she shrieked. "Matt! What the hell is this? Some kind of sick joke?"  
  
"I'm afraid... it's not, Annelle," Tech replied, turning to face her fully. She gasped at the sudden transformation of her friend... his face no longer held the soft caring and humor it had before... and his eyes were cold and dead.  
  
"You'll be coming with us."

*****************************************

He stood on the rooftops, watching as two bruisers hauled the girl to her feet by force, her friend idly whipping out his holocomm. Stormy green eyes narrowed, one hand reaching out of a black leather trench coat and flexing; a barely audible _click_ could be heard as it pulled back into his wrist, replaced by a small cannon.

__

Damn you Wily, for getting me involved…

He fired just to the right of Tech, leaping from his vantage point at the same time. The blast was close enough to fry the small communicator on the boy's wrist, sparks and smoke floating out in squealing protest.

Tech looked up just in time to see a fist connect with his face, sending him flying into the nearest wall. The newcomer landed smoothly on one knee, raising his arm cannon and aiming at the two who held Sierra captive.

"Let her go, or I shoot."

One of them flinched, but tightened his grip with a feral look. The girl whimpered from pain at his touch, giving a half-hearted struggle and closing her eyes tightly.

"Who are you?" they asked, backing away with a very frightened Sierra in tow. In response, he raised to his feet, pressing a button on his cannon. In a flash of red light, he vanished, only to reappear right behind the three. With a series of punches to the surprised captors, they were sprawling on the ground to join their leader; he stretched his arms out just in time to catch the girl gently within them.

"Stupid girl," he muttered upon realizing she'd fainted. "I _told_ you not to trust him!" Hearing a moan, he shifted slightly to regard Tech, who was gripping the side of the wall for support while rising to his feet.

"Hold it… right there… Prototype…" he accused in apparent agony, blue eyes stricken with some foreign emotion. A finger pointed right at them, arm streaked with multiple, liquid crimson lines. "You can't take her…"

"Really?" he sneered at the agent, clutching Sierra protectively. "What's to keep me from doing so? A pitiful human pawn like you can't do a thing about it."

He laughed, a twisted sound embedded with regret and bittersweet tears. "You don't get it, do you? If you take the girl… Wily's already got this entire city surrounded… and if I fail, it will go up in flames!"

The newcomer visibly paled, mouth bending into a snarl. From beneath auburn bangs his eyes hardened, mistrust and confusion rending his robotic heart. "Explain."

"She was meant to come here," Tech continued, taking a step forward. "Wily sent me here to intercept her, in case Elecman failed… he informed me of your appearance and to anticipate your interference."

"Why you?"

"Sierra… Annelle trusts me."

"And you abuse this trust… this caring she has for you for your own gain? Damned typical…"

"I didn't want to!" he protested, pointing to himself in frustration. "I had no choice! Wily promised me that she would be safe if I delivered her… she's all the family I have left… and I won't let you take her away from me!" Gathering the remainder of his strength, Tech charged at his opponent, who calmly raised his cannon and fired. The boy flew backwards upon impact, the odor of singed flesh and coppery fluids permeating the dank air.

"I'm sorry," was all the robot said before teleporting away, Sierra still cradled in his embrace. _I hope he was bluffing…_

*****************************************

The girl's crystal blue eyes opened slowly, taking in the unfamiliar surroundings of grass and trees. She brushed loosened hair away from her face, noting how grimy and dirty she felt. In an attempt to sit up, she found that a large coat covered her body for warmth, and as far as she could see, she was alone.

__

What happened? Moving to her knees, the girl squinted as she recalled the events that had occurred before blacking out; the memories remained mostly muddled, but one thing remained clear…

__

I'll never see Matt again… Tears stung her eyes as she realized she'd been used, and all of the things she'd seen and heard from Tech had been lies. _He worked for Wily the whole time…_ But perhaps the one thing that hurt most was her heart; he'd said himself that he loved her and would always protect her, but like everything else in her life, he was ripped away by Fate and her dark minions.

"So you're awake?" a voice interrupted her thoughts, a rustle in the grass signaling his arrival. "How do you feel?"

"Terrible, thanks," she replied icily, not turning to face her savior. "Care to tell me who you are?"

"Ouch. You forgot me already, eh? Damned humans and their short-termed memories."

Sierra whirled around, shock evident on her softened features as she at last recognized him. "Blues?"

He didn't need to say or do anything; even without the dark visor over his face she knew that piercing gaze, the long reddish hair framing that tanned face… even the smirk he'd flashed to her only once before rising into sudden recollection.

"Did you really think I'd just up and leave?"

In any other circumstances, with any other man -- no, he was not human, she reminded herself -- those words would be endearing, bearing with them soft promises… but now they stood as pure fact, borne from logic.

"How… how would I know?" she answered, turning away. "Everyone else seems to have left; why should you be any different?"

"Are you saying I should have let that boy take you to Wily?"

No response; he sighed, a human reaction he'd recently picked up on.

"Look, Sierra. He betrayed you; he was working for Wily the entire time and you shouldn't have trusted him. I rescued you because I don't want to see your creations used and abused by that madman… seeing his own dirty work is enough."

"What did you do to him?" she blurted out, locking gazes with the robot. Blues seemed to jerk back slightly, and found himself wishing he had his visor on. Sierra's face changed to a look of detached horror and pain, tears streaming down her cheeks in realization. "You didn't…"

"I don't know," he responded through clenched teeth. "We left before I could determine his status…"

__

"WHY?" the girl exclaimed, rising to her feet as if to punctuate her outcry. "Why did you do it? I would rather have been captured than to see him dead!"

"He would have killed you, Sierra, had he been given the order."

"I don't believe you! I don't! Just… just stay away from me, you monster…"

Her words stabbed him like a blowtorch through his artificial heart, and he visibly flinched, much to his own surprise. He didn't know why it affected him so, and such an outburst coming from the girl before him seemed to magnify the blow tenfold. Didn't she know what he risked to save her? He knew he shouldn't have bothered with any of it… his mind all the while had screamed for him to turn away and go on with his wanderings… but each time, something called him back. Her image would float across his memory, haunting and taunting him until he bellowed out his frustration.

A sudden impulse overcame Blues as he stared in shock at the girl, and he reached forward instinctively. Pulling Sierra close to him in a sudden gentle but crushing embrace, one gloved hand cradling her cheek as he raised her face to meet his. The robot's lips crashed down, down… stealing her breath away as they covered her own.

She froze, unsure of what to do, but her weariness took control and Sierra found herself surrendering to Blues' kiss. Almost as quickly as he had come, the taller of the two broke away, taking a step back. Blue met green as their gazes locked, their hearts open for a brief instant before the machine's face clouded with indifference.

Taking another step, he half-turned from Sierra, who was still heaving slightly from the force of his embrace. "Don't think anything of that," he said, a small tremor in his tone nearly unidentifiable. "I only did it to shut you up. Now get some rest; we leave at dusk."

__

~~~

Author's Notes: I made the chapter a bit longer than it was originally going to be… I wanted to leave it on a decent cliffhanger ^_^()

__

Next chapter: Pursued by trackers, agents and even the Robot Masters, Blues and Sierra find themselves even more deeply entangled in a web of evil. Their only hope is to seek out Dr. Light, Blues' other creator, but is he already dead or hidden at some secret site? Who is the mysterious blue robot who comes to their aid? Can he be trusted?


	6. Pursuit

Souldance Chapter Six: Pursuit  
  
Author's Notes: *sigh* Gomen nasai, minna. I know it's been months since I updated anything, but school's been terrible, and work's been worse, and only now am I finally getting a hold of things, and not a moment too soon. I've been wanting to update this story in particular for a long time, and the Phoenix is next on my list. Please enjoy this next chapter, and let me know what you think! ^_^V  
  
***  
  
Running. Movement. A breathless sprint from wherever they had been to god- knows-where, and all Sierra could register was that they were moving fast... Only hours following their escape from the city had the persecution begun, as Wily sent his best trackers to hunt both her and her protector down, dead or alive.  
  
At least, that's how it was for Blues; it didn't matter to the mad scientist whether the robot lived or died... the only item of importance appeared to be Sierra's safe deliverance to his stronghold. More chills went down her spine not only from these thoughts, but also as she sensed the enemy drawing closer. Looking ahead, she saw Blues only paces in front of her, clearing the path even as the hunters neared, closing the gap quickly.  
  
She tripped, falling face-first into the gravel and dirt below her aching feet, but Blues whirled, catching her wrist just in time to haul her back into balance, a single green-eyed glare screaming that she push on... but where could they hide? It seemed there was no safety from Wily's grasp, and yet the robot appeared to know where he was going.  
  
'I wish he'd stop soon...' she thought with a wince as loose branches clawed at her sides. There was nothing more than she wanted than a good, hot bath, with an equally hot dinner before being tucked into a bed... but it wouldn't happen, and the girl knew it. No more luxuries... not that she'd known any in her life, before a few days ago... with Matt.  
  
Her heart sank. 'Matt... Tech... did you really betray me?' Ever since Blues had saved her, even though she'd seen her own best friend whirl to face her with a different face and order that she be taken away... Sierra just couldn't process it. Her eyes stung, vision blurring until the retreating silhouette of Blues became a mixed wash of red and grey, with a touch of yellow from his scarf. Unknowingly she slowed, the twin trails of tears tearing down her solemn cheeks, the pain of truth driving further into her consciousness.  
  
The robot halted, turning again with narrowed eyes. "Sierra!" Inwardly groaning, he blasted at some undergrowth before making his way back to her, a single hand reaching out to shake her quivering shouler.  
  
"Come on! Get up! They're close!" he barked, already hearing the hunters close in around them.  
  
"I don't care..." she muttered, her voice distant and devoid of emotion.  
  
He growled furiously, desperately trying to think of what to do... until his train of flurrying thought was interrupted by an imposing voice.  
  
"If you'll hand over the girl, Prototype, I might allow a head start before my followers seek to devour you."  
  
"Get a life!" he called into the darkness, wrapping a protective arm around Sierra and powering his buster cannon. "You'll get to her over my dead body!"  
  
"So be it." Still the voice had no form or shape, and suddenly the trees seemed to explode with swarming masses of batlike robots that sliced the air around them, aiming at the green-eyed protector. Wide eyes of crimson fluttered and flared like dozens, hundreds of frenzied fireflies, darting to and fro upon glinting wings edged with sharp blades that cut Blues's face and arms. Cursing, he fired at the annoying mechanical monstrosities, but as he hit a few, more came to replace them, seemingly out of nowhere.  
  
"As you can see, there is no point in resisting. I shall ask once more; hand over the girl."  
  
"Show yourself, coward! Or are you too afraid to fight me yourself!?" Blues shot back over the high-pitched chattering of the bats. "Call off the cavalry and fight me like a man!"  
  
"I am no man, nor are you," came the smooth reply. "So why endure such boring traditions? Being among these humans has made you soft." A shadow moved in the darkness, and metal armor glinted in the starlight for there was no moon. Sinister eyes peered out, glowing on their own with condemnation towards his fellow 'bot. "Disgusting heap of scrap. I shall enjoy watching you die..."  
  
"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!" another voice cried out, and Blues's head jerked to the side, where a great crashing of bush and tree could be heard. The appearance of this newcomer seemed to unnerve the first, as he began to back away further into shadow. Blues was amused.  
  
"Scared of somethin'?"  
  
"Be silent!" the other barked, "He is your enemy, too!"  
  
"Who is?" he asked, but more of himself. 'Wily is my only enemy... right?' As their pursuer's attention seemed to be diverted from the time being, Blues held Sierra close while he backed them away; even the swarms of bats seemed to cower in fear of the approaching figure.  
  
Sierra snapped out of whatever trance she'd been in upon realizing that the incessant noise of the bats had stopped. "Blues...?" she murmured, looking up at his face. The other did not meet her gaze, as twin green orbs darted about in search of an escape route.  
  
"Quiet... there's something coming..."  
  
"What do you--" She was silenced by his hand clamping upon her mouth. Infuriated, Sierra tried to slap him, but a single glare once again kept her in check. She grumbled in silence, defying him, but was also calmed by his presence beside her; she felt perfectly safe. It was then that she began hearing the sounds, until at last a small silhouette emerged into the clearing to face their pursuer.  
  
"Hold it!" it repeated, pointing with what looked to be a plasma cannon. "You're coming with me, Shade Man! Stop hiding and show yourself!" The shadow growled in return, sliding to the side so that he slowly came into view. Purple armor, a set of wings and glittering ivory fangs; he appeared as some twisted rendition of a vampire, towering at a full seven-foot height over the other figure that confronted him with confidence.  
  
"Out of the way, I have a job to do!" Shade Man hissed, swiping with a taloned hand. "Stupid blue boy... always getting in the way!"  
  
The figure darted to the side easily, firing a warning shot. Blues looked on with a mixture of curiosity and amusement at this; a Robot Master fearful of one not even half his height, with a girl's voice to boot! Come to think of it, who was this guy?  
  
"Stand down and come quietly!"  
  
"Not on your life, brat!" Needless to say, a battle quickly spawned, allowing Blues sufficient time to retreat, still keeping a hand over Sierra's mouth until they were some distance away. The girl stared behind them, trying to discern the warring figures, but they were too far to make anything out but the flares of energy from their weapons.  
  
"Blues... who was that?" she questioned once she was finally let go, stopping in her tracks to turn fully. He halted as well, silently musing the same inquiry.  
  
"What does this mean?" she continued, scrunching her face into a look of confusion.  
  
"I don't know," he said at last, still darkly pondering over the appearance of this ally... or was he foe?  
  
'Unless Dr. Light has found a way to get back at Wily, he's more than likely an enemy, but he's a pacifist... he wouldn't create an element of destruction, would he?' An emerald gaze turned downwards, falling on the cooling cannon that replaced his left hand. 'I wasn't meant to fight... only to be a lab assistant. If I'm to protect Sierra, I'll have to find a way to upgrade.  
  
'But that means going into a town... for parts, and someone to fix my weapon. There's no one to trust...' he cursed, gaining the girl's attention. Sierra glanced at him, raising an eyebrow. "Something wrong?"  
  
"Nothing that requires your concern."  
  
She bit her lip, a sign that she was holding back a sharp reply. This was no time to argue; anyone could see that.  
  
"Look," she began with a sigh. "I just want to help, all right? I hate being helpless, especially when I know you despise me. I can at least make the burden on you easier, if you'd let me."  
  
The 'bot began to say something derogatory in reply when a thought hit him. 'Of course... she can make the upgrade! But there's still a question of how to get the correct parts... and her cooperation...'  
  
"Sierra..." he began, "I need you to do something for me." But she wasn't paying attention, not at the moment... for it seemed that the battle had ended, and something was moving towards them. Blues instantly made for the trees, pressing himself against one and motioning for Sierra to follow. However, she didn't see him, and remained frozen in place, a strange look on her face.  
  
"Sierra!" he hissed, but there was no reply. The rustling came closer... and a shadow leaped form the bushes, landing in a crouch in front of the girl, panting.  
  
"Dang, I lost him!" he exclaimed, standing to look behind him, and turning back to give the girl a full smile, blue eyes glittering warmly. He was quite short, and seemingly no older than twelve in physical age. He wore blue armor in varying shades, and hair that jumped in all directions in the darker range of brown.  
  
"Are you okay? I saw you run off after I fought with Shade Man," he explained, scratching the back of his head. "I was hoping you were all right!"  
  
"Yes... I am..." she shot a look to Blues, who remained still and glaring. "But, who are you?"  
  
"I'm Megaman!" he said proudly, bowing. "I fight Dr. Wily!"  
  
He's like a child, both Sierra and Blues thought in unison. "Why do you fight him?" she asked.  
  
"'Cuz he's mean and hurts people with his robots, and because Dad told me to!"  
  
Sierra fought the urge to sweatdrop. 'He's almost human... but somehow I can tell he's a machine... maybe it's because he defeated the Robot Master without getting so much as a scratch... who IS he?'  
  
"But anyway," Megaman continued. "I gotta go home now... you're not hurt are you?"  
  
She shook her head, and his smile widened. "Okay! Byebye!" and with that he teleported away in a pillar of blue light. Only as he'd vanished completely did Blues finally emerge from his hiding place, heaving a sigh of relief. Sierra gave him a strange look.  
  
"What's wrong with you? Leaving me like that!"  
  
"I did not want to reveal myself to another potential enemy, and you should be considering the same thing," he reprimanded coldly. "He could have been working for Wily, and the whole 'fighting with Shade Man' might have been a ruse to gain your trust! You are a fool!"  
  
"And you're paranoid!" she snapped back, clenching her fists at her sides. "I can't believe you! Thinking that about a sweet boy that just saved your ass!"  
  
"I could have easily defeated him," he snarled, taking a step towards her. "I'd like to know that you have faith in my abilities."  
  
"Good grief... you have an ego the size of Europe!" The girl slapped her forehead in pure exasperation. "What am I saying... you're just a machine! You can't possibly have an ego!"  
  
"And what's that supposed to mean, human? That since I'm not pure flesh and blood, I can't carry real emotion?"  
  
"I didn't say that!"  
  
"Yes you did! and let me tell you, Sierra, that I sure as hell DO have emotions!" he grabbed her wrist, angry.  
  
"Prove it!" Her twin sapphires shone with defiant anger, daring him to reply. The breeze moved whisps of loose brown hair around her face as she stood tall and confident, silhouette highlighted in the light of the stars. Blues paused to simply look at her, trying to register what he was feeling at the moment.  
  
"You want me to prove it." Not a question, merely a statement.  
  
"Yes! Prove it to me right now that you're not a mindless machine!" her voice shook slightly, not sure what she herself wanted him to do. His other hand raised to mindlessly brush the hair from her face, staring hard into her eyes with his own.  
  
"I think," he said firmly, leaning closer to her, "that you are probably the most stubborn, ignorant, annoying girl I have ever met."  
  
"And I think that you're the most bullheaded, egotistical--" Now, for the second time, Sierra found herself unable to finish a sentence because of Blues's lips upon hers, gentler this time. Immediately blushing from the warmth that emanated from him, her eyes slid shut as her arm raised to drape over his shoulder. But before she could complete the action he moved away, half-smirking.  
  
"Is that proof enough?" he murmured, still gently holding her wrist within his larger hand.  
  
"...maybe..." she replied, mirroring his smirk. "And was that just to shut me up?"  
  
He released her, turning away to hide his own flush. "Maybe." He began walking forward again, heading for the nearest town, and Sierra followed wordlessly, not needing to be told. She smiled at his back, shaking her head.  
  
'What in the world have I gotten myself into?'  
  
***  
  
Author's Notes:Shorter than usual, yes, but I had to get back into the groove, per se. The next chapter should be up soon... I'm not going to give a date, because my boss is evil when making my schedule -_-()  
  
Next chapter: Sierra and Blues make it to the next town, but end up using unsavory means of acquiring the parts needed for Blues's upgrade. What kind of sparks fly during all of this...? And it's the return of Megaman! Why's Blues so mistrusting... could he be hiding something? 


End file.
